LIFT’S biennial festival concludes as Artistic Director Kris Nelson Steps Down

The festival celebrated the end of its 2024 programme on Saturday with the final performance of Nassim Soleimanpour’s critically acclaimed ECHO at the Royal Court. Other highlights from 2024 include The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women by Brazilian directors Janaina Leite and Lara Duarte and UK’s Clean Break, and a futuristic Taiwanese Bat Night Market created by Kuang-Yi Ku and Robert Johnson. Major choreographers Marlene Monteiro Freitas and Nadia Beugré performed to audiences at Sadler’s Wells and Southbank Centre while Chiara Bersani created a poetically powerful performance at the iconic Old Bailey.

During Kris’s tenure, LIFT has worked with hundreds of international artists from over 20 countries across six continents. Highlights during his tenure include the 24 hour theatrical phenomenon The Second Woman, a 24-hour performance performed by Ruth Wilson, the award-winning climate change opera Sun & Sea which saw The Albany transformed into an outdoor beach and the UK premieres of the globally successful British works I Am From Reykjavik by Sonia Hughes and The Making of Pinocchio by Cade & MacAskill. In 2021, LIFT launched Concept Touring which is designed to explore sustainable forms of international collaboration; it eventually led to Nassim Soleimanpour’s ECHO (Every Cold Hearted Oxygen).

Robin Saphra, Chair of LIFT’s Board of Trustees commented: “I’m incredibly proud of what Kris and LIFT’s talented team have achieved during our 2024 festival, which was a brilliant tribute to Kris’ bold and dynamic artistic leadership. Kris has ensured that LIFT is back on the map. It has been a great pleasure for me to work with him and I wish him every success for the future. I remain excited about the future of our collaborations with international theatre-makers and want to express my gratitude to our loyal members, sponsors and funders, without whose support and engagement LIFT would not exist.”

Kris Nelson, Artistic Director/CEO added: “It has been a great honour and an exciting challenge to lead LIFT for the last six and a half years. From building a beach in Deptford to staging our epic climate change opera to queues around the block for our 24-hour marathon performance about power and gender – we’ve taken on vital issues with projects that considered the times in which we live. It’s been so gratifying to see how deeply they’ve resonated with audiences across the city. 

I want to thank LIFT’s incredibly talented team and devoted trustees. Together, we’ve created new opportunities for London locals to collaborate with international artists and experimented with new ways of festival making. I’m proud of the many ways we’ve backed British artists and made sure LIFT was both a home for them and a launchpad for their works to travel the globe.

Leading LIFT has been a richly rewarding experience and it’s time to pass the torch. I’m looking forward to pursuing new creative projects and leadership opportunities. First up, I’m thrilled to be joining the 2024 Clore Fellowship Leadership cohort, taking this rare and energising opportunity for reflection, provocation and discovery as I begin a new chapter.”